How Hard can it Be?
by AnonymousTwit
Summary: America asks England to keep an eye on his states for him while he runs some errands for his boss and Japan decides to tag along because why not. In which England is too old for this and Japan can't even. Cameos from some other countries!
1. In Times of Peace

**A word from the author: Huzzah! I've been waiting to post this story for a while. I wanted to at least have most of the chapters ready before I started posting it because I know how annoying it is when there's huge gaps of time between chapters. I don't want to make you guys wait for a story in progress for too long! Anyway, this is my way of introducing all of my state OCs! I'll be using them a lot (though some more than others) so I hope you like them :)**

 **So enough from me! On to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, but I wish I did because just about everything in this show is genius! I do own these state personification OCs, though, so I got that at least. :)**

* * *

Normally, he would love to never answer his stupid random calls, as anyone who has ever encountered the boisterous nation would completely understand. England simply stared at the phone on his desk as it rang, as if it would jump up and bite him if he reached for it, the name plastered on the screen staring back at him with silent anticipation. He honestly didn't have time for this. Then again, when did he ever? In an attempt to ignore the constant ringing(and not make it obvious he was hanging up on him and alert him of his presence), England once again busied himself with whatever he was doing before hand, signing some documents, he remembered, before drinking the rest of his tea. At this point, the ringing was really starting to get on his nerves. He was just about to go ahead and hang it up when the ringing finally stopped and it went to voice mail. Sighing in relief, he poured himself another cup before he started reorganizing his papers, then immediately threw them into the air when he was startled by the phone ringing again. Now incredibly irritated, he grabbed the phone and threw it across the room, watching contently as it unceremoniously bounced across the floor.

With a satisfied huff, he slowly got up to clean the mess he'd just made. If he'd had any company at that moment, he grimaced, they'd be having a field day with that spectacle. He'd have to remember to give that idiotic American a piece of his mind the next time he sees him. Teach him a lesson on only calling people if it's important. At that thought, another thought struck him. _What if it was important? Maybe something happened._ He immediately shook his head. _Nah._ He shouldn't be worrying about his former charge so much.

The phone finally silenced once again. England stared at it for some time before going back to cleaning his now filthy office. Leave it to America to indirectly trash someone's room within the span of less than three minutes without even being there. Oh, if he called him one more time-

 _*RING RING*_

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" he screamed into the speaker. He hadn't even realized that he'd picked up the phone. It had somehow ended up in his hand within a single blind moment of murderous intent.

"There you are! It's about time!" America chimed happily, "I've been trying to call ya for a while now."

"Oh, _really,_ " England forced through gritted teeth. He honestly wasn't in the mood for this. "And _why_ might that _be_ , per se?"

America gave a nervous chuckled. "Yeah, uh, so something came up and my boss kinda needs me to do some stuff for him, so...uh..."

"Yes?" he grunted irritably.

"I, uh, don't have anyone to watch my states."

After a moment of deciphering what America meant by that, England went visibly pale. "I will _NOT._ "

"Please, England? It'll only be a couple hours tops."

"Why don't you just let them take care of themselves!? Why do I have to be there?!" Of all the things that England didn't want to do today, being in a house with forty something lunatics and a few uncategorized pieces of work scattered in between was at the top of that list, especially a certain thirteen that have never been particularly fond of him, and a couple of northern states within those thirteen that seemed to want nothing more than to watch him suffer.

"Come on, please?"

"No."

"Please?"

" _No_."

"I'll owe you a favor."

"NO."

"Pretty please."

"I said _NO_."

"With a cherry on top?"

* _CLICK_ *

With a frustrated sigh, he returned his phone to his deck and collected the rest of the papers all over the floor. By now, his tea had gotten cold, but he was too angry to even care. Today just wasn't England's day. This point was especially proven correct when the phone suddenly started blaring again and he spilled cold tea all over himself.

He had the phone again within a second. "WHAT!?"

"...Please?"

Despite the mess, England suddenly wished that France was somewhere nearby. He really needed to punch something right now. "If I do this for you this one time, will your favor be to _leave me ALONE?!_ "

"Haha! Yeah sure, dude! I really appreciate your help! Talk to ya later, 'kay?"

He then proceeded to hang up before England could say anything more. Yep, today was just not going to be England's day.

 **-** ** _Hetalia!_** **-**

Considering the time difference between the country of England and his own, it was perfectly understandable for Japan to be so tired. He would have loved nothing more at that moment than to find a bed or couch somewhere, curl up into a little ball, and fall asleep. Unfortunately, this wasn't an option at the time as he quietly tiptoed through the halls of England's workplace. Truth be told, he wasn't suppose to be there. As a 'foreign government official', this area of the building was supposedly off limits, and that included England's office. Japan could understand. It isn't a good idea to allow just anyone to waltz into your office unannounced, but Japan was England's friend, so he assumed that he wouldn't mind so much. Besides, they were both lonely people, so maybe England would actually appreciate his company, or at least he hoped so. In all honesty, Japan was happy that his government officials were having a meeting in London, which meant a chance to visit him. Of course, with the combination of time change and jet lag, Japan was a little less thrilled to be where he currently was at the moment. Refocusing himself, he continued down the hallway until he reached the door that he expected to be to England's office. What he didn't expect was an angry England storming out of said door and barreling into him, almost throwing them both onto the floor.

"I- Grrrrrrr..." England silenced himself as he reached out his hand to help a startled Japan back to his feet. "I'm dreadfully sorry, Japan. I didn't see you in time and I've been in a foul mood lately. I should have been more careful."

"I-It's alright..." Japan stuttered, stumbling a little from the shock of being violently rammed into by an angry Englishman. "W-why are you so...so upset, i-i-if it isn't t-too much trouble?"

England sighed irritably. "Well, if you must know, I was only mildly irritable this morning, and then a certain _idiot_ , I'm sure you know him, had the absolute _GALL_ to call me and ask that I babysit his monstrous little hooligans that he knows as his states."

"Oh..." Japan mumbled. "W-well, it was very nice of you to do this for him-"

"What choice did I have!?" England suddenly shouted, quieting Japan lest he upset him further. "He wouldn't leave me alone! He wouldn't know what 'no' means if you stamped it on his forehead!"

For the next half an hour, England vented to Japan about every single problem he could possibly have with the bombastic American and his little imps. Japan found himself subconsciously folding in on himself and side-stepping away from his friend as he devolved into a raving lunatic. By the end of it, England was practically pulling his hair out.

"And they don't even _like_ me! And they think that I'M not over the revolution! Bah!"

"England-san-"

"I mean, honestly! Can you believe them all!"

"England-san."

"Hmm?" England blinked and paused for a moment, slowly realizing that he just completely went off on poor Japan. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and pinched his nose. "Oh. How long have I been rambling?"

Japan timidly shrugged. "So, you have to watch all of America's states by yourself?"

"As of right now, yes. It's not like I have anybody I can ask, really. France is out of the question, China would never agree to it, Russia is...Russia. Actually, America would probably throw a fit if I allowed him anywhere near his house, anyway."

"I would be willing."

England stared at him in surprise. "A-Are you sure?" he questioned. "I don't know if you'd be able to handle them."

"It isn't easy to take care of fifty different people. To be honest, I don't know how America is able to do it, even with how much energy he has." Japan said thoughtfully. "I think it would be best for your health if I assisted you."

England had to really think about this. To be fair, Japan was tougher than he looked, as he knew from first-hand experience. However, he highly doubted that he'd have what it takes to survive in the dreaded Jones household. "Japan, I don't think..."

"Please let me help you."

England gave him once glance before finally shaking his head. "You're going to regret this."

"It's okay, England. I don't think it could be as bad as you say."

England gave Japan a questioning look before giving in and taking his offer. Japan couldn't understand what the big deal was that England would be throwing such a hissy fit, though it was one(now two) against fifty and that could probably get pretty chaotic, especially in a western country. Then a thought struck him. No, not just any western country. This was the United States of America, and these were the states, who were obviously raised directly by America, which could mean a number of things... Japan shook the thoughts out of his head. No, it couldn't possibly be that bad. England could easily be over-exaggerating. Seriously, how hard could it be?

 **-** ** _Hetalia!_** **-**

When being the personification of an entire country, especially of larger countries, it's perfectly normal to have more than one house depending on how involved with your citizens and surroundings you want to be, so it would be no surprise that America owns a few houses throughout the U.S. What may be a surprise is that his states have their own homes as well, just outside of their capitals. Considering that states have their own state governments that they are involved with, it would make sense. This could easily be the reason that when other countries come to visit, whether it be for business or fun, that these elusive state personifications are rarely seen. As much as they love being together, they have their own business to attend to and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Japan visited America all the time, so if that weren't the case, he would have seen plenty of them running around whenever he dropped by. Instead, he'd only ever met three of them, none of them during his visits. At one point, Texas had been a fell fledged nation, so he'd seen him at a couple of world conferences before he became a state. No one was really surprised by it though, as the two had gotten along very well. There was also one conference somewhere at the very end of the seventeen hundreds where America had brought Ohio in with him. It was a period of massive industrialization and she had played a huge part in it, so he had brought her to help him with his presentation. She had surprised them; The girl was a very organized and intelligent individual and some nations could never fully comprehend that she was an American at all, let alone one of his states that he raised.

The third one was the most awkward for him, personally. It was during a meeting with America just after the end of World War II that he was introduced to Hawaii. They had been talking about economics when the little girl had peeked inside to see the "big scary Japanese man" for herself and make sure that he didn't hurt her precious daddy. It had single-handedly been one of the cutest things that Japan had ever seen and he couldn't help but feel unworthy of being in the presence of such adorableness after bombing her to oblivion just a few years prior. It was, as said before, awkward for him, but it also felt good to properly apologize. Hawaii hadn't been sure how to take suddenly being bowed to at first, but after having the cultural significance explained to her, she was quick to accept his apology. Japan hadn't really seen much of her since, so he was actually pretty excited to see her again. She was just so cute!

Meanwhile, England had nothing to look forward to but bad memories and a bunch of (for the most part) mini Americas whose sole purpose in life were to make him suffer. By now, England had met every state at least once, and some bothered him more than others. For instance, New York gave England a headache whenever he was anywhere near the boy. Sure, he wasn't as loud and obnoxious as New Jersey(New Jersey might as well _be_ America), but New York was a level of ungentlemanly and rude that had never been seen by mankind. The Carolinas also had a bad habit of rubbing him the wrong way, especially South. Oh boy, South. Their relationship was a little bit complicated, so he never talked much about her. Then there was Rhode Island, who never shut up, _ever_. England had wanted to put a muzzle on him several times. He couldn't help but be impressed, however, as he had never before seen someone actually talk over America until he'd met the little midget. Then there's Connecticut, who... Actually, Connecticut was pretty close to a gentleman, so he got a pass.

However, nobody, but nobody, got so far over on England's bad side than the two oldest, the sisters Delaware and Pennsylvania. Ooooooh, England just couldn't stand them! They always seemed to have a bone to pick with him, especially Pennsylvania. Despite being the less overwhelming of the two, she never hid the fact that she had it out for England, and England was sick and tired of having anything to do with her, and of course, he was going to be stuck in the same building as her for who knows how long and he was _NOT_ looking forward to it.

England didn't really remember much about the drive with Japan to the Jones' Victorian home, as he was wandering in his own mind and even mentally preparing himself for what was to come. He didn't even realize that they arrived until he heard the car engine shut off and Japan speak to him.

"We are here, England-san."

England blinked a moment before rubbing his head from an incoming headache. This was going to be a really long day. "Alright, alright. Just let me finish mentally bracing myself."

Japan stared at him for a moment before exiting the car and heading for the porch. Realizing that he could be in extreme danger, England quickly leaped out of the car and ran up the steps after him, intercepting him at the door. Japan was slightly startled by England suddenly appearing in front of him.

"Hold on, Japan. I will knock." he stated, before turning to the door. Taking a deep breath, he slowly and hesitantly raised his hand to the door and knocked three times. They waited in silence, both of them anticipating what might be waiting for them when the door opens. Impatient, England knocked louder and rung the doorbell. Yes, the little imps could be mischievous and rude, but to leave someone waiting at the door! He was about to yell and bang on the door again when he heard little footsteps pitter-pattering towards them and the scratching of furniture being pushed across the floor followed by the door creaking slightly open.

Japan's eyes lit up. Peering curiously through the door was Hawaii. The little girl was small and petite, with large chocolate brown eyes and black silk hair falling past her tanned shoulders. Her choice of wardrobe was very simple: A slightly faded scarlet dress with whited out designs of tropical flowers all over it and a beautiful bright purple flower in her hair.

She beamed brightly at them. "Aloha, Mr. England and Mr. Japan!" she said cheerfully.

"Yes, good day, Hawaii." England greeted. Out of all the states, Hawaii was one of the few that he didn't mind that much.

"kon'nichiwa, Hawaii-chan." Japan chimed happily. I haven't seen you in a long time. How are you and your family?"

"We're good, thanks."

"May we come in?" England asked, wanting to get inside and get this whole thing over with. With a quick "oops", Hawaii jumped off of the chair and pulled it out of the way while England opened the door the rest of the way and entered the lively, yet oddly quiet, Victorian home. Hawaii happily ran ahead of him and Japan(who was currently leaving his shoes by the door) and motioned towards the living room that they could relax in.

"So why are you guys here?" she asked as the two nations made their way to the couch.

"Your caretaker requested that we keep an eye on you and your older siblings while he runs some errands." England explained. "He should be back in a couple of hours."

Hawaii nodded in understanding. Japan cleared his throat. "Do you know where the rest of your brothers and sisters are, Hawaii-chan?"

Hawaii turned away, deep in thought, trying to remember where everyone had gone. "Well," she thought aloud. "A bunch of them all went hunting a little ways away. Everyone else should be wandering around here somewhere. They shouldn't be too hard to find. "

Japan nodded. "I see. Very well, then. Let's go find the others as a roll call, so we know where they are and how they are."

"Alright." England agreed. "Now, for your convenience, Japan, I will go in search of the hunters. They're a...rowdy bunch, the lot of them. You search for the states around here."

"I can help you, Mr. Japan!" Hawaii offered happily. "I know every nook and cranny of this place, so we'll find everyone real quick!"

Hawaii jumped up and took Japan's hand, pulling him up and towards the hallway. Japan quietly complied, following her down the hall in search of her other siblings. Meanwhile, England sat in silence, mentally preparing himself for the task at hand.

"At least Japan shouldn't be _too_ traumatized after this...I hope..." he stood up suddenly, tightening his fists in a show of determination. "Come on England, you've had to deal with these kids before, and those were on even _worse_ terms, but this is peace time, now! If you can survive then, you can survive now!"

He briskly walked out the door, squaring his shoulders and holding his head high as he made his way down the road to where he knew they would most likely be around. He was determined! He would _not_ be intimidated by a couple of territories!

"Alright," he said with newly found confidence. "Bring it on, you little imps!"

* * *

 **In case you guys are wondering, England and the older states don't like each other. Why? Grudges. In my head canon, America didn't even meet Delaware until after the Revolution, so England didn't meet any of the states until the War of 1812...and 1814...when he burned down the capital. Yeah, they're still mad. They're also mad at him about some stuff that went down during the American Civil War, but that's a story for another day. ;)**

 **Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this story so far and I will see you in the next chapter!**

 _ **EDIT: Hey! So I've been thinking about these states of mine and I realized something. As much research as I've done for these characters, I don't think I could ever recreate an accurate state personification on a state that I don't know as much about all by myself. So, I thought of a great idea! Those of you who are reading, especially those from any USA state, please tell me about traits or stereotypes that would make these characters more accurate and memorable! It would help me out a lot if I could get input from people who are actually from those states! Thanks for reading, guys, and I hope that my state OCs will become worth your time. :)**_

 **~AnonymousTwit**


	2. In Times of Confusion

**Ladies and gentlemen, chapter two is up! :D Okay, so this is where more states begin popping up, and it's been pointed out that it may be appropriate to put up a warning, and I think they make a good point.**

 _ **These personifications may be unintentionally offensive, especially since this story is made up of entirely comedic situations. **_

**Also, I actually did do a ton of research to try and make these guys as accurate and Hetalia-ish as possible, but I may have failed. If so, I'm sorry. :( I'm trying my best.**

 **Those of you who live, or have lived, in the US, please feel free to (nicely) give me suggestions in the future on how I can make these characters even better, since most of my stories involve them, and a good majority of them will be a bit more serious. I want them to eventually be the best and most accurate Hetalia state characters ever, but I doubt I can do that by myself.**

 **Also, still can't do accents. Imagine them in your head if you wish, but I'd rather not completely butcher them.**

 **Anyway, that's all from me. On to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, but I wish I did because just about everything in this show is genius! I do own these state personification OCs, though, so I got that at least. :)**

* * *

Hawaii happily ran down the halls of the Victorian mansion as Japan tried his best to keep up with her. The girl had a lot of energy, he noticed. While he was now having to stop to catch his breath after trying to follow her around the house, she seemed to be completely unaffected by the exercise.

"Come on, Mr. Japan! Come on!" she called. "I haven't shown you everywhere, yet! We haven't even gone upstairs!"

Truth be told, he'd already been around the house once or twice. Even though he usually visited America at his New York apartment, he'd come to his main home before. However, he feared that saying so might hurt Hawaii's feelings, and he didn't want to do that. Besides, they needed to find her siblings, anyway. He just wished that they could get straight to that and not have to run around the entire house where he knew they probably wouldn't be. As he past another room, he noticed someone inside. The boy had his back to them, weaving a strange design and whistling a tune that he'd never heard before. He had tanned skin like Hawaii's and scruffy dark brown hair. He wore a hand-made shawl-like cloak with an interesting design on it.

"Hawaii, I found someone." Japan informed her. The boy lifted his head a glanced behind. He smiled softly as Hawaii ran over to see which sibling he'd found.

"Oh, that's New Mexico! Aloha, New Mexico!" Hawaii greeted New Mexico. New Mexico turned all the way to face them. At this point, Japan couldn't understand what England was flipping out about. New Mexico seemed like a very nice person, and he was happy to be proven right.

"Hola, Hawaii. Como estas, mi hermanita?"

"I'm good, thanks. What are you making?"

New Mexico showed them both his creation when he noticed Japan slightly leaning in to see for himself. "This is a dream catcher. Do you like it?"

"It's pretty." Hawaii smiled. "It looks like a net."

New Mexico laughed. "Then I did it right. So, quien es tu amigo?"

"What? Uh... Oh!" She turned to Japan. "I think he asked who you are."

Japan realized that he hadn't yet introduced himself. He instinctively bowed, despite his knowledge of cultural differences between the US and himself. "Kon'nichiwa, New Mexico-san. My name is Nihon, but everyone calls me Japan."

"You're a nation?" New Mexico asked in surprise. In all honesty, he'd never met another nation from outside North America, except for a couple Central American countries. Otherwise, he was usually spending his time in his own state or here. He'd never imagined that he would actually meet another nation, especially one from so far away. He immediately stood and held out his hand. "It is very nice to meet tú, I mean, you, Señor Japan."

Japan was impressed by this boy's composure. He was a very nice person and that made him feel at ease. Perhaps this really wouldn't be so bad. He decided to go ahead and shake his hand, earning him a friendly smile. "Por qué estas aquí, Señor Japan?"

"Nani?" Japan asked confused.

"Oh, I mean, ...you don't speak Español, do you? Perdóname." New Mexico apologetically. "I asked why you are here."

"Oh. Well, I came here with England-san. America-san asked him to watch you guys while he takes care of some business, and I volunteered to help him." Japan, albeit very softly, smiled in assurance. "Don't worry. It shouldn't take him very long."

New Mexico nodded in understand. "I see... You are looking for my other hermanos then, no? I could help you find them."

"Really?" Japan asked. He didn't want to make someone else worry about his own tasks, but then again, he knew that this person had much more knowledge about the house and its residence, and having two companions couldn't hurt. "Well, if you are certain. Arigato gozaimasu."

New Mexico blinked, looking over at Hawaii for help. She mouthed the words "thank you."

"Oh, sí, de nada." New Mexico said kindly, hanging his dream catcher by the window of the room before following them down the hall to find some more of his siblings. So far, for Japan, this had gone surprisingly well. Perhaps England really was wrong. At first, he had been unsure, as England seemed adamant that this would be the worst day of his life, but this wasn't so bad. As long as the rest of them were like New Mexico, he'd be absolutely fine.

How naive.

 **- _Hetalia!_ -**

"Could you do me a _favor_ and _just_ _SHUT UP!?_ "

All three of them jumped. They had been traversing the halls once again in search of other states when they had heard shouting. New Mexico and Hawaii gave each other looks that Japan couldn't quite read.

"I wonder whose ticking her off this time?" New Mexico asked before running ahead, his two companions following suit. When they reached where they had heard the shouting, they found two people yelling at each other, or more so one yelling and one ignoring the other completely and spouting something about them always being right.

"I still say you should-"

"Just _stop!_ I'm tired of hearing what you have to say! I can take care of my _own state government_ without your input!"

"And after that, you should get rid of-"

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING!?"

Japan took a good look at the two. The one screaming was a girl with sleek glasses with thin-glass frames and dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She was very smartly dressed, wearing a dark mauve suit jacket and a pencil skirt. He remembered her. That was Ohio, from that meeting during America's industrial revolution. She hadn't changed too much, he noticed.

Now the other state, he didn't know. The boy she was arguing with was similarly dressed, though a little more messy with a loose tie, lazily worn dress shirt, and unbuttoned suit jacket. His blonde hair was in disarray, sticking in different directions as if he had rushed to get up with morning. New Mexico sighed.

"We should walk away before they notice us, amigo." New Mexico warned, pulling on Hawaii's hand as they tried to get away from the exchange.

"Who was that?" Japan asked, though more so referring to the male state.

"Those were mi hermanos, Ohio y Illinois. It's best to avoid Ohio when she's angry like that... and Illinois when he thinks he's right."

"It could be worse." Hawaii chimed in. "She could be talking to Michigan."

New Mexico shivered.

Then Japan suddenly tripped. He hadn't been looking down as he hadn't expected something to be there, but there it was: a pair of legs just sticking out from the side of the hall. There was a crash and a girly shout, followed by a book hitting the ground. The yelling in the other room stopped, followed by two heads poking out from behind the wall.

"Are you okay!?" Hawaii asked, helping Japan up.

"Y-Yes, I..." he immediately turned to whoever he had tripped over, knelt onto the floor, and bowed. "Gomen'nasai! Gomen'nasai! I'm very sorry, but I didn't see you! Are you okay?"

"No, you're fine! I shouldn't be in the middle of hallway like this! It's fine, really."

Japan, sighing in relief, stood back up and got a good look at the girl he'd fallen over as she reached for her book. She had short black scruffy hair just above her shoulders and an innocent look in her eyes. She blinked, looking around confused. It then occurred to her that she couldn't see.

"Hey, Des Moines is gone. Does anyone see them?"

Japan tilted his head. "What is..."

"My glasses. Where are they?"

"Oh." Japan realized. He quickly did a quick turn around and found them lying by a door to their right. He was surprised by how large and thick they were. "Here you go."

"Oh, thank goodness." she breathed, placing them neatly on her face.

Japan watched her dust herself off as she regained her bearings, finding himself becoming more and more curious. "Excuse me, but if I may ask, why are you're glasses named Des Moines?"

The girl looked at him oddly. "It's my capital, dude. The capital of Iowa. That's me. What do you expect?"

Japan shrugged somewhat timidly. "Well, I was just wondering. That's all."

"Uh huh... Yeah, all of us have capitals, you know. I'm pretty sure that's common knowledge by now."

"I'm sorry if I've offended you by not knowing-"

"Oh no, you're good. Everyone learns something new everyday, you know? Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some reading to catch up on."

She then took her book and left, leaving Japan to his own thoughts. To him, that had been somewhat of a strange conversation. Iowa, as he now knew her to be, had spoken with both the friendliness of a close acquaintance and someone who was understanding of him be a stranger. Should he take that as kind or rude? He honestly wasn't sure. He chose to ignore it and continue on his mission, opening the door into the next room. He was met by a young girl throwing herself through the door and onto the floor. Japan jumped back as she shot up immediately, losing her balance and wobbling around before catching her balance and collecting her thoughts. She looked very young, wearing her brown hair in twin braids.

"Uh... Are you okay-"

"WHA YEAR IS IT!" she slurred, before looking over and staring at Japan.

"Who're you?"

Japan didn't want to answer. Maybe he should have listened to England, after all.

"I'mma go hit my head on the door, now." she said. She then closed the door, ran back against the wall, and then screamed and smashed herself into the door.

"TWENTY NINE!" she hollered before collapsing on the floor unconscious.

Before Japan could figure out what in the world just happened, a boy with short blond hair peeked his head through the door and looked down at his sibling, then to Japan, then back to the girl on the floor. He then slid through and shut it behind him, leaning over to get a better look. The boy, Japan noticed, dressed very simply, choosing to wear a plain white tee over something fashionable.

"I guess that was it." he mused.

"What was it, Idaho?" Ohio sighed from somewhere behind them.

"Oh, Nebraska was running into the door to see how many times she could hit herself in the head before she passed out."

Everyone around them was staring at him in confusion, though some were more dumbfounded than others. "Is she okay?" Japan asked somewhat quietly.

"She's bleeding." New Mexico observed.

"What do we do?" Hawaii asked with concern.

"It's okay." Idaho reassured them. "I got this." And he gently placed a potato on her forehead.

Ohio gawked. "A... Are you stupid?"

Idaho waited a few seconds silently before tilting his head in confusion. "Huh, that's weird. It usually works for me."

 **- _Hetalia!_ -**

At this point, Japan had slipped away, already being drained of all energy after the last string of events left him possibly scarred for life. He hated to leave the only two people he was comfortable being around at the moment, but within a couple of minutes, it had gone from easily-handled to what-is-even-going-on-anymore. He needed to get away. Of course, when he found his way to the living room, the first person he saw was Iowa, though she was a familiar face now, granted. He didn't really want to talk to her, though, as he still had yet to figure out what he thought of her. He then noticed someone new. A girl with long light auburn hair lying haphazardly over the coffee table fast asleep, cuddling a basketball. Japan didn't quite know what to make of the sight.

"That's Indiana, but the way." Iowa called from where she was sitting, still reading her book. Indiana snored loudly, slightly startling Japan, he honestly didn't know how much more of this he could take. He wasn't prepared for Iowa suddenly throwing her book at the other state. Why? He didn't know. All he knew was that the basketball that she had been snuggling barely missed his face by inches. Lucky him that he had such fast reflexes, or that would have _hurt_.

The ball then promptly hit him in the back of the head.

"Uh oh. Scatter." was all that Iowa uttered as she sprinted out of the room. One look behind Japan and Indiana was following close behind. Japan was nervous now, but he swallowed said nervousness and peered behind him. What he found of a nicely dressed boy with short black hair pulled back somewhat messily wearing a nice suit without the jacket. He had a gentle smirk plastered on his face, and it made Japan shiver.

He wasn't quite sure how to deal with this new state. Japan immediately found himself disliking him, as there was nothing about him that seemed remotely trustworthy. Of all the characters that he expected to run into in America's family, a potentially evil person hadn't crossed his mind at all.

This guy looked like he could get away with murder.

"Hello there." he greeted. "I don't think I've met you before. Who are you, exactly?"

Japan swallowed. "I...am Japan."

The boy raised his eyebrows and smiled. This boy would get along with Russia very, very well. It unnerved him.

"A nation. Wow, I don't see a lot of you guys around. Especially from the Eastern hemisphere." he held his hand out to him. "I'm Nevada, by the way."

Japan honestly didn't want to touch him. The shadiness of this character just rubbed him the wrong way and he'd rather not make contact. So, in order to not be rude, he backed up and bowed in greeting.

Nevada chuckled. "I see. You don't trust me. Alright, I get it. You're just very perceptive."

He began to walk away, twirling a playing card in his hand. "Very well. Maybe we can talk later. Perhaps play a game or two?" he threw the card in the air, Japan losing sight of it as it flew to the side. "Have a nice day, Mr. Japan."

Japan watched as Nevada disappeared down the hall, rubbing the back of his head on instinct. Feeling something odd, he pulled the strange object out of his hair, discovering it to be a playing card. He dropped it, not wanting anything else to do with the mysterious card or the strange state that he'd just encountered. Japan slightly curled into himself, worried about who the next state he'd run into might be.

"Hey, you alright?"

Japan jumped, whirling around after being startled by the deepness of this new voice. The man he found behind him was as tall as America with brown hair in a similar style to America as well, but covered with a cowboy hat. He looked very rugged, but a million times more trustworthy than the last guy. Japan found himself relaxing.

"Hey, have we met? I feel like I've seen you before."

Japan studied him. Yes, he did actually feel like he'd seen this man before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The man snapped his fingers in realization.

"Now I know! You're Japan, right? Or was it Nihon?"

"Both are correct," Japan replied, "But most call me Japan."

"Alright. Well, I dunno if you remember me, but I'm Texas. We never talked, but I was at a couple world conferences a while back, if you remember. It was a while ago."

Yes, Japan did remember him. If they never talked, then it must have been before America asked(forced) Japan to open his borders. He never talked to anybody back then. In fact, he didn't show up to meetings all that often, but he must have been to one or two while Texas was there, because he certainly did know him.

"You were a country at one point. Back in the eighteen hundreds?"

"Yep, that's me. Didn't last long, though." he laughed.

Japan nodded. That would explain his physical age. The rest of the states looked to be somewhere in their mid-teens at most while Texas looked as old as America did. It made perfect sense. Texas smiled brightly at him, shifting the box he had over his shoulder to a more comfortable position. Japan wasn't sure what was inside, but it certainly looked heavy. Perhaps Texas had America's super strength as well? It was likely.

"Brother Texas, where did you go?" someone called from behind them. Texas immediately turned and rubbed in neck nervously.

"Oh, sorry about that, Utah! I got distracted by my friend, here." He turned to Japan. "I can call you a friend, right?"

"I...suppose?" Japan didn't really want to argue with him right now, as he was way too exhausted to say anything. Besides, he was friendly enough.

The newcomer approached them and Japan nearly ran the other direction. Apparently this state had at some point decided that clothes were overrated, clad with nothing but boxers. Sure it was kind of warm out, but it still made Japan quite uncomfortable. The boy's hair was dark red, parted in the middle with a cowlick much like his caretaker's sticking out. He smiled kindly at them. "And who might this be?"

"This is Japan. He's a nation and buddies with America."

"Oh, how delightful!" Utah proclaimed. "I hope you have enjoyed your time here."

Japan just stared at him.

"...I see." Utah's shoulders seemed to slump a little, but it was only for a second. "Then you have done well in persevering through the hardships and trials that come with being introduced to my family in our homeland. I hope you are proud of yourself. After all, as someone once said, the greater the obstacle, the greater the glory in overcoming it."

Japan was completely taken aback by the sudden inspirational words that Utah had just spout at him. Then again, they really were encouraging for him. What he said was absolutely true. Once he returned home after this whole ordeal, he would feel a heavy burden lift off of his shoulders and could stand in triumph and glory for surviving such an ordeal! He was about to thank Utah for his encouragement when he noticed said nation wobbling uncontrollably. While Japan wasn't paying attention, he had set the box he was carrying on his head and was trying(and failing) to balance it. Japan wasn't quite sure how to respond at first.

"...Um, Utah-san, what are you-" Japan didn't get a chance to finish his question before Utah toppled over and his the floor, the box bouncing off to the side somewhere. Utah slowly sat up dizzily.

"What was that?" Texas questioned.

"Oh, I just thought that I'd try to walk with the box on my head. It's fun to try to balance things on your head, don't you agree?"

Japan and Texas both stared in silence. Texas finally spoke up. "You know that box is too heavy for you, right?"

"Well, what have I said about overcoming the greatest of obstacles in the past, Brother Texas? As they say-"

Texas had tuned him out at this point, choosing to watch as two more states approached the three with more boxes, one with one or two small ones and one with large ones like Texas was carrying. The shorter of the two had such bleach blonde hair that it looked white and it was cut unruly short and curling into her face. Japan noticed that she was also wearing spenders, something he didn't see very often. What unnerved him was the somewhat dead look in her eyes. In fact, both girls had that.

The taller one scared him more though, but he had yet to pinpoint why.

"Utah, you shouldn't be on the floor." The shorter girl said. For some reason, the moment she spoke, everyone was listening to her. "We have moving to do, and I don't have to be helping you guys, ayuh."

"Sorry, Maine." said Texas. "He was just being weird, again."

Maine said nothing, then continued on her way to wherever they had been heading. She then stopped by Japan and looked over him curiously. Japan didn't know if he should say something or not, but Maine then simply nodded and continued on her way. Japan didn't know how much more of this he could take. In fact, how did America handle these guys for so many years? Yes, he has tons of energy and is very extroverted, but this was a bit much. Japan probably hadn't even met _half_ of these states yet!

"Maine is right, Utah, Texas. We are almost done anyway, so let's finish with moving this stuff."

Japan froze. The taller girl had spoken, and something about her speech caught his attention immediately. He didn't know if he'd heard correctly, but the girl had an accent. It was an extremely light accent and hard to notice, but Japan recognized it. He could recognize that accent anywhere.

 _Russian_.

"Um... Excuse me..." Japan asked cautiously

The girl turned towards him. "Da?"

Japan nearly had a heart attack. He was right. She was definitely Russian, and that wasn't what scared him the most about her. No, it was her eyes. She had Russia's eyes. Same color anyway, with a slightly different shape, and then he noticed other features. She had the same skin color, the same hair color, the same style for her bangs, she looked way too much like him! The only real different was her hair length, which was tied back in a braided bun, though the bun part was actually just left as a messy ponytail.

"Who... Who are you?"

The girl tilted her head. "Me? I am Alaska. I'm assuming that you are Japan, da?"

Japan nodded, rubbing his sheathed katana nervously. "Hai, I am."

"I thought so. America has told me about you, and so has Russia."

Japan backed away. He didn't really want anything to do with someone related to Russia, and he had absolutely no clue why America would. She was obviously an American state, but she was also obviously a Russian territory at some point in the past. The mixture of cultures was something out of the darkest of nightmares. Japan was very done with this whole experience.

Japan's back ended up next to the open window, where he heard rustling. He looked down, expecting to see another state. What he saw threw him off completely. At first, he'd thought it might be Utah again, having somehow ended up outside the window from where he'd been in the room(at this point, anything was possible if you asked him), but...Utah doesn't have that curl... What the-.

"I...Italy...?" Japan leaned over looking down at the person now looking back up at him, eyes sparkling at the sight of the familiar oriental nation. Yep, it was indeed Italy, and as much as Japan wanted to question what in the world he was even doing there, he couldn't help but feel a wave of relief washing over him at the sight of a friend.

"Ve~! It's good to see you, Japan! What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

Texas peered over Japan's shoulder, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Another nation, huh? I'm pretty sure you're one of the Italies."

"Yes, I am! I'm the north. You seem familiar, too."

"Texas." Texas reached down and picked Italy up, pulling him through the window. Italy yelped as he was yanked inside and scurried across the floor before he stood up, catching his balance and turning around to salute his ally and new friend.

"So," Texas sighed. "Why are you here? Are you with him?"

Japan chimed in to explain what he could. "Italy and I are friends, so he would be with me. However, I'm not sure why he's here. I came here with England, so I thought it was just the two of us."

From behind them, Alaska and Utah watched silently. They were just as confused as the rest of them, or at least Alaska was.

"Come along, Alaska." Utah said. "Texas can handle this. You should take his load for him."

Alaska agreed and went to take Texas's box from him while Utah continued on his way. "I can take care of your part while you handle whatever this is suppose to be." she said.

"Alright. You take care, then." Alaska nodded and continued on her way, leaving Texas to deal with Italy and Japan. "So, Italy, why are you here exactly?"

"Ve~, I don't really remember." Texas and japan nearly fell over. "I think I was probably looking for Germany. I haven't seen him in a while."

 _But why at America's house?_ Japan didn't bother to ask. For now, he was just happy to have Italy to lean on in this land of nonsense and mayhem. He also hoped to run into New Mexico and Hawaii again at some point. He liked them. For now, he would just stick with these two as he waited for this strenuous experience to come to an end. He really should have listened to England. He should have known better than to doubt him. Speaking of which, Japan really hoped that England was having better luck wherever he went off to than he was here.

* * *

 **I hope that wasn't too painful. XD So, what do you guys think? What did I do right here? What can be improved in other, more serious stories? Do you have any questions about why a certain state is a certain way? Do you have suggestions for states that haven't appeared yet? Please, feel free to let me know!**

 **Also, my apologies to England fans that he wasn't in this chapter at all. Do not fear, however, for next chapter will exclusively focus on him as this one did on Japan, so stay tuned! Until then, my friends!**

 **~AnonymousTwit**


	3. In Times of War Part 1

**I'd like to thank everyone who has given advice for my state characters so far! I've gotten stuff about Utah, Idaho, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, and Louisiana! If you guys have any more suggestions, please let me know!**

 **Also, terrible proofreader, so please forgive me for missed grammatical errors. Oh yeah, and I'm not trying to pull off any accents, either, 'cause I just _know_ that I'm gonna offend somebody. XD**

 **And I think that's everything. Alright, so with that, let's see what England's up to, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, but I wish I did because just about everything in this show is genius! I do own these state personification OCs, though, so I got that at least. :)**

* * *

England was surprised. He hadn't known that his former colony's property was so _big_. Then again, he had fifty of his own charges to deal with nowadays and he needed the space, so it shouldn't come as that much of a surprise. He also had to admit that it was a very nice landscape. The grass on the hillsides was green and, though due to be cut, well-kept and pleasing to the eye. There were many flowers scattered around the area, giving the land some extra color. The forests were huge and vibrant with life. He could already hear a variety of birds and woodland creatures and he'd seen at least three or four deer since he'd started out. He kind of wished he'd brought Flying Mint Bunny along with him. As much as he hated to admit it, his little flying friend would love it here. Now that he thought about it, Tinkerbell might as well. He made a mental note to bring them with him the next time he had to come here.

The sunlight shown through the leaves of the canopy as he made his way into the peaceful forest, relishing the soft breeze as it lightly blew through his hair. It really was a nice day out, today. If only he had the time to enjoy it. Oh well, he would while he could, before he came across the first of those little hooligans. Of course, much to his displeasure, that didn't take long.

And of all things, he was greeted by a bullet.

 _ **BANG!**_ England was violently startled out of his thoughts as he felt lead pass by just a couple centimeters from his ear, imbedding itself in a nearby trees. He had ducked out of the way just in time. Countries knew war better than anyone, so it was a mere reflex to react in such a way at this point. He then gawked at the bullet hole left in the poor tree that just happened to be in the projectile's path. It was a decently sized hole, and that would have easily knocked him out of commission for a long time.

"Who has the _audacity_." England hissed through his teeth, though he already had an idea of who it could be. He just didn't know which one.

 _Just please don't let it be one of the original thirteen._ He thought.

"Well, look who came by to say hi! How's it going, Iggy?"

 _Of course it was one of the original thirteen._

England turned his head slowly, his eyes falling on the all too familiar figure that was Virginia. Her blonde hair fell past her shoulders, well kept and shining as always. Freckles decorated her face, making her blue eyes seem as it they were glowing. She really was something else.

But England couldn't care less, because right now, he was dealing with one of the most fake friendly welcomes he'd ever seen.

England sighed. "Hello, Virginia. It's good to see you." He was lying through his teeth. He could never explain why, but out of all of the states, she was one of the worst for him. "I imagine you are doing well?"

"Sure was," she smiled brightly, "Until you showed up."

"It's good to know that I'm welcome within your home." he growled, subconsciously rubbing his ear that was almost shot off(by her, no doubt).

"What's going on over here?" someone called, appearing from the thick bushes. England blinked. He hadn't noticed Arkansas at all. The boy seemed to always be wearing some form of camouflage. He'd never seen him without it, anyway. His normally dirty blonde hair, currently a much darker hue, was in complete disarray, probably having not seen a brush or shower in weeks, along with the effects of mother nature after crawling around in the woods all day. He was chewing on a toothpick as he casually leaned his favorite shotgun against his shoulder.

He looked up at England in surprise. "Oh. Howdy, Iggy."

"It's England!" he shouted. Arkansas was completely unaffected by him raising his voice. It might have been that he was used to it by now. In fact, all of them were.

"'Kay. Virginia, quit pestering him. He already has to deal with papa." he chuckled. England gave him such an appreciative look that Arkansas almost spit out his toothpick from wanting to laugh.

Virginia was about to say that she was only having fun(and fueling an almost two century old grudge), but she backed down, not really wanting to argue with Arkansas. Besides, she knew what she wanted to do, now.

"Where are you going?" Arkansas called after her.

"Don't worry about me, bro! I'm just done for today is all! I've been taking all the kills, anyway."

Arkansas scowled. "Stuck up snob. I know she doesn't mean to be, but-" he said.

"She's just too good at everything?" England questioned.

" _Exactly_... So what's your story?" Arkansas suddenly asked.

England glanced at him, then looked away. "I'd rather explain at a later time, Arkansas."

Arkansas's scowl returned. "Okay, first of all, it's Arkan-SAW, not ArkansaSSSSSSSSSSS." he emphasized. "Get my name right and I'll get yours."

England was about to retort when he was cut off. "Second, your in no hurry, so I doubt that you can't tell me now. So what's up?"

After a moment of staring at the somewhat irritated state, England sighed in defeat. "Well, if you _must_ know, Arkan-SAW, I am here to look after you and your other siblings while America deals with something with his boss. There. Happy?"

"Yes." Arkansas smirked. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it, England?"

England huffed in annoyance, the smirk, now a grin, seemingly mocking him. "Do you all have to be this _insufferable?_ "

"Sure do." Arkansas informed him as a small group of other states followed up behind him. They must have all been in one group out hunting, which would explain Virginia having a gun to potentially take out an unsuspecting personification with.

There were five other states with him. The first that England noticed was Mississippi with his blonde hair and surprisingly nice smile. England had once said that if Mississippi was properly taught, he would make a fine gentleman. He really would. With his personality, given the right grooming and instruction, he could probably get away with pretending to be British. He just wouldn't be allowed to talk, because there was how America butchered the English language, then there was how most of his southern states butchered the English language, and then there was Mississippi. Mississippi didn't butcher the English language. Oh no. He wouldn't even describe what he did to it. That and he was raised by America. England couldn't help but sigh. Such lost potential.

The next two were Michigan and Wisconsin. Michigan, with his nicely combed platinum hair, would also make a good gentleman, though it didn't suit him as naturally as it did Mississippi, but hope was not lost for him. Michigan could be quite rational most of the time, from what he'd seen, and when he wasn't covered in oil and grime from all those automobiles he busied himself with, he fit the criteria in appearance. Wisconsin, on the other hand, was a lost cause from the beginning. His spiky ginger hair would stick out which ever way it chose for that time and his personality was just annoying to England. Some may disagree, him being a charismatic individual and all, but England didn't really care. And what was with that unhealthy obsession with cheese of all things, anyway? It was disgusting!

Which reminded him. At some point in time, he'd promised to get him Swiss cheese from Switzerland for something, didn't he? Hopefully, he didn't remember.

Then there were two girls with them. Wyoming and Montana, if he remembered correctly. He also had opinions that differentiated between the two. In all honesty, he like Wyoming more. She had beautifully long black hair with eyes of a similar color and was uncharacteristically quiet and reserved for an American. It truly was a nice change of pace. She liked being by herself, so consequently, she left him alone. Montana, on the other hand, was Ms. Rough and tough mountain climber who couldn't stand the idea of taking it easy and if you so much as rested a single muscle and not working your hardest, her rants were some of the most difficult things to ignore. Seriously, _good grief_.

"Hey, it's Iggy!" Montana called. Arkansas nearly died from laughing at the possibly fatal glare that England was now giving them all.

"Hi!" Mississippi greeted him warmly. "How's it been?"

"Fine, thanks." said England. At least Mississippi was nice.

England was then startled by Wisconsin jumping on him, hanging his arm heavily around England's neck and nearly throwing them both to the ground. "Hiya, England! What's up? Hey, about that cheese, by the way-"

"Please not now." England growled, causing Wisconsin to leap away and the unexpectedly threatening gesture.

Meanwhile, Wyoming just watched silently from behind them.

"So," Montana started, "What are you doing here? We don't see you around here very often."

"He's our babysitter." Arkansas joked. England turned bright red as the five of them laughed at him. "He's gotta go round up some more of us, so do anyone of y'all know where more of us are to find?"

Wyoming raised her hand. "I saw Vermont and Oregon earlier. You could go with them, England. They went that way." she pointed him the right direction. "I can take you if you want."

England stopped her. "Thank you, Wyoming, but that won't be necessary. I'll find them on my own." He then turned to the rest of them. "I expect the rest of you to behave yourselves and not cause me anymore trouble than I already have to deal with. Understand?"

The rolling of eyes and devious smirks didn't comfort him in the slightest. "Sure thing, Igg- England. See? I remembered! Ha!" Arkansas strolled merrily back into the forest, the other five following close behind.

"Bye, England." Wyoming called. "You need to be nice to the others too, okay?" She then disappeared into the brush after her other siblings. England sighed as he continued on his way. Even a century later, he was still getting use to the existence of responsible and well-mannered Americans. Maybe they really could be respectable people if given the chance.

"AND DON'T FORGET THE CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!"

Never mind.

 **-** _ **Hetalia!**_ **-**

It didn't take him long to find the two states in question. Vermont and Oregon were indeed hanging around, literally, up in a tree for some reason. Washington was with them, he noticed. Vermont and Oregon were quite the spectacle. Vermont had long blonde hair that reached past his shoulders and he seemed to always be wearing that clunky greenish cargo jacket and a matching beanie. England often wondered if that jacket ever got washed. He probably slept with the thing. Meanwhile, Oregon had curly red hair and wore glasses(despite the fact that she didn't need them), and also liked beanies, apparently. England didn't talk to her much, as she talks about the environment a lot and he already had to deal with that at meetings. However, if there was one thing that he admired her for, it was her attention to detail. She could notice and pick up on things fast, and he had to give her credit for it.

Normally, the two would be hanging out with Minnesota(something about the _hipster trio_ , whatever that was), but it was Washington who was with them today. He was easily recognizable with his straight platinum blonde hair and droopy eyes. An odd boy, he was, always sleeping and having a...sad appearance to him. Either that or he was just really mellow. Probably the latter. It was strange to see him outside when it wasn't raining. He loved the rain. That's all that England knew about him, though.

England approached the tree and knocked on the truck to get their attention. Two out of three looked down. Oh well, good enough. He hadn't come to see Washington, anyway.

"Hello, up there." he called. "I was wondering if I could speak to you. It shouldn't take too much of your time."

"Oh, hey, Iggy." said Oregon. England didn't even know he could scowl that deep. "What?... Oh. Oh, come on, Iggy. That nickname's adorable. You shouldn't be so offended by it. Yeesh."

"Don't "yeesh" me! I will have you know that I am your superior in age and I should be respected as such! I've had people calling me that all day and it is really starting to get on my nerves!"

"Dude, you just called yourself old." Washington mumbled from where he was laying before falling back asleep.

England's eye twitched.

"So what's up, besides us?" Oregon asked. Vermont was now sitting up, watching with interest as England regained his bearings and calmed himself down.

"Your caretaker asked me to watch all of you until he returned."

"He left?" Vermont asked with a hint of disappointment. "Oh man, we aren't all even at home together that often."

"Oh, don't fret, Vermont. It shouldn't be for much longer. He just needed to do something for his boss is all."

The two nodded before Oregon spoke up. "Okay, so why are you talking to us? You said you'd been looking for me and Vermont."

"Right. I was hoping that you could help me find some of the other states, if you don't mind. I've already come around the forest and found the hunters and I have an accomplice back at the mansion looking around there."

"Hmm." Oregon hummed as she and Vermont made their way down from their perches. She then pulled out a box of doughnuts out of what seemed like hammerspace and stuffed one into her mouth before offering them to her brother, who accepted it happily. She then held it out to England. "You want one?"

"No thank you."

Oregon tilted her head, not fully comprehending someone actually not wanting a doughnut. She then shrugged. "Your loss."

England huffed and tapped his foot impatiently as he watched the female state continue to stuff her face with her favorite pastries. Were all of these guys unhealthy slobs? (Short answer: No. Alternate short answer: It's called Massachusetts.) Cleaning herself off and putting her doughnut box away, Oregon promptly turned and walked past England, motioning for him to follow. Vermont cheerfully walked along side her, whistling the tune of Yankee Doodle. England couldn't help but roll his eyes at remembering that stupid song. Little known fact, England's own soldiers were the ones that came up with that song, and the purpose of it was to _make fun_ of those foolish Americans, and at the time, he had found it hilarious. However, the idiot turn the tables on him completely, adopting the song as one of his own and taking pride in the jab at his self-esteem. Thus, it became somewhat of a patriotic theme for America, and it had annoyed England to no end. Looking back on it now, it was probably one of England's most immature moments, discovering how the joke had backfired and throwing a tantrum. Honestly, why were they, the countries, always so stupid about everything?

 _'Cause we're good at it,_ had once been America's response when China asked the same question. Some of his few words of wisdom, in all honesty.

"States spotted, dead ahead~." Vermont chimed, jogging along with Oregon as they made their way to a small hill in a wide open field. The sun seemed to shine on it in a manner that it almost looked sacred, but seeing the two states lounging around at the top, England doubted that such a description was all that accurate. At the top were a towel and a lawn chair, both occupied by a male and female state respectively. The boy was laying back comfortably with his legs crossed and hands behind his head. He wore sunglasses, hiding his sea blue eyes, and had his golden shoulder length hair messily strewn about under him. Meanwhile, the girl in the lawn chair, also wearing sunglasses, was sunbathing, the bleached streak in her otherwise brunette hair glowing in the sunshine. England sighed. He should have known better than to think that he'd find them doing anything productive when they didn't have to.

Vermont stood above the male state, smiling down at him. "Hello, California. You seem to be enjoying yourself. How are you?"

California lifted his sunglasses. "S'up, Vermont. I was just chilling in the sun, just now. Florida over there is getting a tan."

"Why are you guys wearing swimsuits?" Oregon asked confused. "You're in an open field, not the beach."

"The sun's all the same." Florida countered, winking at her. "We'll probably head for one of Virginia's beaches later. It's not my beaches, but hey, entire family get-togethers are rare outside of holidays, so why worry about it now?"

"Well, this means I can check two more off of the list."

Both states shot their eyes towards England in surprise, Florida sitting up and taking her glasses off. "Oh, hey. What are you doing here?"

"Long story, Florida." England smiled softly. "So, how has America been treating you? Have you enjoyed your time here?"

Florida grinned. "I like it better than Spain."

"That is the correct answer."

California rolled his eyes. England would asked both Florida and Louisiana that question every time he greeted them. Rivalries between personifications never truly die, do they?

It was around this time that England noticed a random wheelbarrow a few feet away. The reason for it being there? Who knows? It was just something that he happened to look at while he was standing there. Little did he know that he would be making unintentional use of the thing in about ten seconds.

England and the four states currently with him all suddenly heard the sound of a revved engine rapidly approaching them. In the time it took them all to turn around and see exactly what was making so much noise, there was the tire of a dirt bike practically in their faces. With a strangled cry, Florida threw herself into California as the bike came crashing into her chair. Vermont ducked to the left, looking back in surprise. Meanwhile, England and Oregon, who were standing in front of Florida, dove to the right, landing straight into the wheelbarrow with two resounding thuds.

Slightly dazed, England started to get back up, trying to regain his balance after landing so hard, when he felt himself lurching forward. England then got a good look at what was behind the small hill they were on, which actually dipped into a dangerously steep slope, which he realized was approaching him at an alarming rate.

Oregon reached the same conclusion as him instantly. "We're going down, aren't we?"

"..." England remained silent before cursing as the two were suddenly careening down the hill in the random wheelbarrow. Vermont, California, and Florida watched with interest as the screaming nation and state sped down the hill with no chance of stopping until they met an unceremoniously rough landing in a large ditch at the bottom. With blank stares, they turned to the state coming up behind them, taking off his helmet and looking past them sheepishly. Whipping his scruffy black hair out of the way and looking down with guilty brown eyes, he smiled apologetically.

California snorted. "Nice one, Colorado."

"...I'm sorry?"

* * *

 **This was a super long chapter, so I divided it into two parts. If my estimations are correct at this point, that will mean that this story should be, I'd say, five chapters long when it's complete, so stay tuned. Also, I'm still open to any advice for my states that anyone might have, so feel free to share ideas! :D**

 **That is all. I will see you guys next time!**

 **~AnonymousTwit**


	4. In Times of War Part 2

**Hooray! Another chapter complete! Today was exhausting, by the way! I stayed up super late last night like an idiot, then had to get up this morning and got my driver's license. XD What even? Either way, I'm very tired, and that's all I've got to say, so I'll shut up now.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, but I wish I did because just about everything in this show is genius! I do own these state personification OCs, though, so I got that at least. :)**

* * *

"How did you get so good at playing banjo?" she asked with a sparkle in her eyes. Honestly, there was nothing that amazed Oklahoma more than her brother's precision when strumming the strings of his favorite instrument. It really was talent, the hand coordination it took to play at the speeds that he constantly pushed himself to play. If he weren't a state personification with all of his responsibilities and such, he'd be a famous Bluegrass artist for sure.

Her brother smirked at her, flying through some scales just to show off before chuckling. "Takes practice, you know. I've been playing for a loooooong time."

If you asked him, the banjo didn't get the recognition it deserved. It was just as cool as the guitar, if not cooler. Anyone who hated on them banjo players could go jump off a cliff-

 _ **CRASH!**_

Kentucky and Oklahoma were both startled by something suddenly flying into the ditch directly next to them, smashing into the ground upside down. They blinked, having not seen exactly what had happened(though when it comes to the states, not many things leave them speechless), before looking at each other in confusion.

Oklahoma raised her eyebrows. "Uh... What was that?"

"I don't know." was Kentucky's somewhat nonchalant response. "Maybe Colorado crashed again."

"Again?"

Kentucky shrugged before slowly easing himself into the steep ditch. There was dust everywhere, making it hard for him to see anything. He coughed and swatted away what he could before he finally got a glimpse at what had nearly smashed into him and his sister had they been just three inches to their left. To his astonishment, it wasn't a dirt bike, or even a vehicle at all. Rather it was an upside down oversized wheelbarrow.

"What the... Whaaa...?" Kentucky scratched his head in confusion. Of all the things he had expected to find, this was not one of them.

"Did you find anything?" Oklahoma called out to him. The dust had yet to completely settle, so she still couldn't see a thing.

"Well, yeah... I guess." He approached the wheelbarrow, only for his foot to get snagged by a rock or something of that nature and throw him to the ground. Huffing a curse, he started to pull himself back up in annoyance when he noticed a patch of red curly hair under said wheelbarrow. Oregon, who could now see her brother much more clearly, smiled sheepishly at him.

"Hey?"

Kentucky stared at her for a moment before he started to snicker. Oregon's smile fell as she blushed in embarrassment. "Shut up."

"I'm sorry, but what's this suppose to be?" Kentucky laughed. "Is this your new energy-efficient home for environmentalists or something? Looks cozy."

"I said shut up... It's too heavy and I can't get out..." Oregon whined, but Kentucky only snorted in response.

"I'd have to say though, in my most humble opinion, that if this is the route you're taking, I'd think that a doghouse would work much better."

"That's where _you'll_ be if you don't get us out of here in the _**next five seconds!**_ "

Kentucky gawked in amazement. If he didn't know anything better, he'd say that accent sounded British. He dove forward, startling Oregon enough to scoot her backwards as he poked his head in to see beside her. Sure enough, there sat a very familiar and _very_ _ **irate**_ Brit with bushy eyebrows and covered in dirt. Kentucky's shell shocked face turned into one of pure childish amusement as he threw himself backwards and howled.

"Iggy!? What are you-?! How did-!? Ahahahahaha!" he was laughing so hysterically that his sides already hurt and Oklahoma was starting to worry for his sanity. The following _"Don't call me that!"_ was completely drowned out.

"Are you okay down there?" Oklahoma called. She found herself barely able to contain her own amusement as she watched her brother start hacking from laughing so hard.

"What?" Oklahoma asked.

Kentucky took deep breaths and wiped his eyes. "There- And- He- Hahaha!" his laughs had been reduced to wheezes as his laughing fit continued.

Oklahoma smiled at his amusement. "Don't die from lack of oxygen, 'kay?"

"Who let a hyena into our yard?"

Oklahoma turned around to see two figures coming towards her. Two very different people, they were, and Oklahoma couldn't help but smile seeing hot and cold together. One of them was Arizona, with bright brown eyes that shimmered red in the sunlight to match his light red-orange-ish hair. He smiled brightly at Oklahoma in return, then gesture at their brother.

"Seriously, though, who broke Kentucky?"

Oklahoma peered back into the ditch where Kentucky was now on the ground catching his breath as the yelling from under the wheelbarrow finally came through the noise of his laughter.

"I think someone's stuck." she mused.

"Hmm..." Minnesota, Arizona's companion, knelt down beside her. He pushed his wavy blonde hair out of his face as he peered down at Kentucky and the wheelbarrow with interest in his bright violet eyes that nicely matched his favorite purple beanie.

"Did they crash?" he asked. "I'm guessing that they rolled down or something and landed under it. Arizona and I heard all of the commotion from where we were at the time, don't 'cha know?"( _I am so sorry_.)

"Yep, that's what happened." Oklahoma confirmed.

"Hey... Haha! Hey- hey, guys! You gotta see this! This is amazing!"

Kentucky's siblings looked down at him with interest as he pointed at the wheelbarrow and motioned for them to see for themselves what was so incredibly funny.

 **-** _ **Hetalia!**_ **-**

England had never been so humiliated in his entire life. Nor had he ever wanted to shoot someone so badly in his entire life than he did in that moment.

It had been a painful ride down, the wheelbarrow toppling over immediately after they reached the bottom of the hill. Now dusty and irritated, the last thing England needed was another one of America's imps laughing at his misery, and even less so the other three states he could hear nearby.

He recognized Kentucky immediately with his disheveled brown hair sitting lazily down his neck and hazel-colored eyes peering inside their prison. He seemed to always be wearing a plaid shirt of some kind and never bothered to dress up for anything. Despite his poor hygiene(due to not caring), England had to admit that Kentucky was certainly a strong and honest person. He was no gentleman, but he was definitely a personality you could look up to.

Except when he's laughing at your expense and giving you a migraine.

At least he could hear Oklahoma nearby. The young girl had her dirty blonde hair in low pigtails and her bright blue eyes nicely complimented her equally bright smile that was flashing as usual. The only state who had as much of an American smile as her was California when he was flashing a Hollywood grin. She could be overly optimistic sometimes, though.

"This is stupid." he heard Oregon mutter from beside him. She looked just about as amused with this situation as he did, which was _not at all_.

"Agreed." England stated over Kentucky's now dying laughter(about time).

It still didn't help that there were now three more people standing in front of the overturned wheelbarrow, peering inside curiously at Oregon as she stared back at them somewhat annoyed.

"Uh, _help_." she requested with an uncharacteristically forceful voice.

Oklahoma was trying her hardest not to laugh, but it was obvious that she found this amusing as well, as did Arizona and Minnesota, who were also trying not to look entertained. Minnesota was doing a rather good job at hiding it, but Arizona eventually just gave up and giggled with Kentucky like little school girls. Of course, Kentucky just had to make the situation that much better for England, now didn't he?

"Did you see him?" Kentucky breathed.

"Him?" Arizona asked, looking further inside to see who "he" was. As expected, he was not disappointed as his eyes widened in shock and recognition.

"England!?" Arizona shouted in surprise. "But wha-. What are you doing in there!? Wow, that's amazing!" he laughed.

"Told ya!" Kentucky exclaimed in amusement. They could hear England slam his fist into the side of the wheelbarrow in frustration, or maybe it was his head? They honestly couldn't tell. Oregon did look a little taken aback. Oklahoma and Minnesota looked inside as well, giving each other surprised glances.

Oklahoma tried to greet him. "Uh, hey, Iggy. Wha-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Oklahoma jumped back in surprise. "I-... I'm sorry, Ig-, England. I just... What are you doing under a wheelbarrow?" She let a little chuckle slip at the end of her question, as she, like the others, couldn't really help but find this whole situation hilarious.

" _Long story_." England growled. He wanted to make it _very clear_ that he was _not_ enjoying any of this _at all_. Oklahoma seemed to pick up on this, choosing not to interrogate him any further and instead turning to Minnesota, who was coolly talking to Oregon.

"I think we should try to get them out now." Oklahoma stated.

"I think so, too." Minnesota smiled.

" _About time_." They heard spoken in unison from under the wheelbarrow.

While Kentucky and Arizona watched, Oklahoma and Minnesota went to trying to lift the overturned wheelbarrow, which they quickly discovered was much, _much_ heavier than either of them anticipated. They pushed and pulled, but even with the two personifications trapped inside pushing from underneath, they couldn't seem to make it budge.

"Why is it so big and heavy?" Oklahoma asked no one in particular. "Why do we even have a wheelbarrow this big?"

"It's called 'there's fifty of us and about half of us have at _least_ a small garden somewhere'." Arizona verified.

"And at _most_ , some really big farms." Kentucky added.

Oklahoma and Minnesota glared at the two states standing behind them. "Hey, a little help, please?"

"Right. Sorry, sorry." Arizona rubbed the back of his neck as he approached the two to help them, while Kentucky, with a smirk on his face, silently followed behind him. He didn't care what any of them said. This whole thing was first class entertainment. It became apparent rather quickly that even with their combined strength, this was a very heavy wheelbarrow. Despite this, they were able to lift the bottom a couple inches from the ground.

"Can you crawl out, now?" Minnesota asked.

"Are you kidding?" Oregon asked, though her earlier frustration seemed to have dissipated. "Not even I can fit through there."

"Then cut down on the doughnuts, sis." Kentucky requested.

Oregon shot him a look. " _Hey_."

Their strength giving out, the four dropped the wheelbarrow, laying on the ground to rest. Their arms were going to be very sore for the next couple of days.

"Well, isn't this just fantastic?" England grumbled.

Oregon sighed in response. This was getting old.

"Is everything okay?" they heard someone call over the sounds of a motor revving. A dirt bike skidded to a halt in front of the group, Colorado taking off his helmet and stretching as Vermont climbed off and approached them.

Vermont leaned down to where Oregon was. "Is anyone hurt?"

"No, just frustrated."

"I guess that's to be expected."

"Yeah..."

"So," Colorado started, boldly following after Vermont. "Can I rest easy tonight knowing that I won't be murdered in my sleep?"

There was a sudden, very violent _**BAM!**_ against the inside of the wheelbarrow. " _YOU!_ LOOK WHAT YOU DID, YOU _DOLT!_ " England screamed. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING NEXT TIME, WHY DON'T YOU!?"

England continued to violently lash out at the adventurous state as most of the others tried to tuned him out.

"I'll take that as a no." Colorado confirmed.

"Just be ready to run once he gets out of there." Kentucky advised.

"Got it."

"You probably should, too, Kentucky." Minnesota warned, now covering his now ringing ears to try and protect them from England's vile and _high volume_ curses and threats. He felt very bad for Oregon at that moment.

The six states pondered what to do at this point. Even with Vermont and Colorado, they still probably wouldn't be strong enough to lift the stupid thing high enough for Oregon and England to crawl out. There were options, however.

"Why don't we dig a hole under the wheelbarrow?" Minnesota asked.

"No. Too much unnecessary work." Oklahoma responded. "Why doesn't someone go find Texas or Alaska? They'd both be strong enough to lift it all by themselves!"

"Not a bad idea," said Kentucky. "but aren't they helping Utah and Maine move storage right now?"

"Yeah. They are, aren't they?" Arizona chimed in.

Colorado spoke up with a smile on his face. "We could wait for dad to get back."

" _ **NO!**_ " They heard England shout.

Kentucky chuckled. "Actually, we could do that, 'cause then dad would make fun of him and he'd chase after dad and not us. Good thinking, Colorado."

Colorado responded with a grin and two thumbs up.

"Or we could ask Kansas." Oklahoma, who had been casually looking around, pointed in the direction of their new potential solution. His wavy dust-colored hair was tied back and he was comfortably sporting casual baggy clothing as he made his way to wherever he was going. Kansas was a characters that they didn't see very often. He could be brash and outlandish, but at the same time reclusive and stoic. They were never sure how to deal with him. For all they knew, he would flat out say no. Well, it was worth a try.

"Kansas!" Kentucky called.

Kansas stopped to look over at them, seemingly interested in whatever in the world they would be calling him over for. Kentucky smiled as his brother sauntered over, taking in the sight of the wheelbarrow with a raised eyebrow.

"Long story." Kentucky informed him. "Entertaining as all get out, but long."

"Short version is we need help lifting this thing." said Arizona. "It's too heavy for us, but it probably wouldn't be for Texas. In these circumstances, you're the next best thing."

Kansas looked as if he wasn't sure whether to be pleased with being complimented on his strength, or highly offended at being categorized as "not as good as Texas". After a moment, it seemed like he was leaning towards the latter.

"Ignore him." Vermont said with a friendly smile. "He's being insensitive. Could you kindly move this wheelbarrow so we can help those trapped inside?"

Thank goodness Vermont could be so level-headed. Kansas seemed to appreciate this. "Sure." he answered curtly.

He immediately went to lifting the wheelbarrow, easily pulling it up off the ground and flipping it upright within a matter of seconds. Oregon shot up, dusting herself off and readjusting her beaning and glasses before giving her legs a good stretch.

"That was stupid..." England grumbled as he straightened out his back.

"You're welcome." Kansas blurted. You honestly couldn't blame him for going out of his way to help someone and at least want to be thanked. England looked up at him, sighing in annoyance, though more so towards his situation.

"Thank you, lad."

Kansas nodded in response. "Why were you riding a wheelbarrow?"

"You ask as if I _wanted_ to... Which _reminds me_."

"Run." was the only thing that got out of Kentucky's mouth before Colorado was bolting past him in an attempt to escape a very angry Englishman chasing after him. The others watched in amusement as England ran after the young state with the ferocity of a dragon as Colorado screamed as he ran for his life.

"He's probably enjoying this." Kansas observed fondly.

"I think you're right." Kentucky laughed.

Kansas suddenly scowled, realizing how close they were to his garden. "Hey, ya'll better not trample _any_ of my sunflowers, you hear!?" he yelled.

Colorado stopped for a second and was about to ask Kansas to repeat himself when he was suddenly tackled to the ground by his pursuer. Kansas shook his head as he approached England violently shaking Colorado around while yelling incoherent curses at him. Kansas had flinched; they had skidded up way too close to his sunflowers, and he didn't even want to think about what he might do to them if that happened... He stood directly in front of them now, looking down at them stoically.

"Please be careful of my sunflowers." Kansas demanded.

England looked up at him surprised as Colorado hung limply in his grip. He hadn't noticed Kansas walking up to them. "What?"

"My sunflowers. You almost ruined my garden." Kansas stated matter-of-factly.

England sighed. It was still being one of those days. "Forgive me, Kansas, but that is none of my concern at the moment."

"It is for me, though." he enforced. "If you want to beat up my brother, could you please have the decency to do so somewhere else?"

England seemed offended. "Decency!? What's that suppose to mean?"

"It means that I'm asking you to get away from my garden." England was now standing eye to eye with Kansas. Kansas hadn't flinched at all under England's gaze, looking him in the eye with full confidence.

"Now you see here. All of you should be speaking to you're elders with a little more respect, so be more respectful towards me, why don't you!?"

"This again." Oregon giggled.

"I'm not trying to be rude, Iggy." England's eye twitched. "I'm just asking to go somewhere else."

England was trying to not be angry and argue with the states. He was just in such a foul mood and now so tired that he was now lashing out at people for very poor reasons. Of course, the person he was now lashing out at was Kansas.

Bad choice.

"Right." England scoffed. In all honesty, he was the one being rude here, but he would never admit that. "Because your flowers are the only thing you can find out in your boring state-"

 _ **BAM!**_

It happened so fast that no one really saw what happened at first. The moment the word "boring" had left England's lips, Kansas's fist was in the air. England reeled back, clutching the side of his face that had been struck. Just great. He was sure to get a black eye from that. He had forgotten just how good was a right hook he had. Kansas was a military expert. What was he expecting?

For a second, Kansas looked unmoved, but then his face fell into a somewhat apologetic expression. "That was a reflex." he sighed.

England nodded, interpreting it as his apology. He might as well stop this nonsense before one of them made it any worse.

" _Anyway_ ," England said. "I've been here for long enough and I have things I need to do. So, I imagine that I can leave all of you to your own devices without regretting it later, correct?"

"We were fine 'till you showed up." England shot a dangerous look Kentucky's way.

"You talk too much." England hissed.

"You say too much." Kentucky responded with a friendly smile. "I did enjoy this experience, though, so thanks for that."

"Come on." Oregon suggested. "We still have other states to find, you know?"

"Agreed." said Vermont. "Let's continue on before something else happens."

England couldn't agree more. Perhaps once he left this incident behind him, things would calm down for a while. He hoped so, anyway. He needed a break.

 **-** _ **Hetalia!**_ **-**

He was wrong.

Oh, he was so horribly, dreadfully, painfully wrong.

England had been happy to finally leave the fiasco with the wheelbarrow behind him. He knew he had been angry, rude, and ungentlemanly, but he really didn't care anymore. He never wanted to be here in the first place and this felt like a good way to vent out his frustration. Besides, they wouldn't hate him for it, so why worry about it. With little things like this, they were surprisingly forgiving, especially the younger states.

It had been nice having his company reduced back to two. He would never say it out loud, but the two hipsters with him were among the more manageable of the states, and thus, easier for him to interact with. He had hoped that it was a good sign that he was now dealing with less rowdy states and that he'd be able to relax a little, or at least until he found the dreaded original thirteen.

Now, if he remembered correctly, America had mentioned nothing of any other nations being present at his home. In fact, Japan had come with England. That wasn't by America's request at all. As far as England knew, he and Japan were the only countries there at the moment.

So why was _France_ there?

The moment he heard that obnoxious "Ohohohohoho!", his eyes widened. _Maybe these imps aren't as bad as I've been making them out to be._ Anything was better than France.

Oregon and Vermont gave each other looks as England ran ahead of them, probably to make sure he wasn't crazy, or possibly hoping that he was, because on top of every ounce of stress that he's had to deal with today, he didn't need _that_ of all things. Oregon didn't know how much they hated each other from personal experience, but she'd heard plenty of horror stories about times outside of world meetings that they were stuck being near one another. It baffled her how they could be such _strong allies_ during the world wars.

Vermont, however, had been around long enough to have seen the catastrophe that is England and France interacting outside of politics, and he hated it. Vermont is a very gentle soul. Violence is something that he hates more than almost anything in the world. Violence is what usually happens in these situations. He wasn't looking forward to it.

And none of them were crazy, much to England's distress. Despite his best wishes, France was indeed there. They had left the fields by now, now in a park looking area with sidewalks and ponds scattered about. The sound of croaking frogs filled the air as England slowed to a stop and contemplated running in the other direction. Then again, would it even be a good idea to just let France run around America's property without supervision?

Well, it was too late, anyway. He'd been spotted.

"Angleterre?" France called somewhat surprised. "Why, bonjour, mon cher! I didn't expect to see you. What brings you here?"

England grumbled something to himself as Oregon and Vermont caught up with him. "I should be asking you the same thing, frog." he spat.

"Now Angleterre, that is no way to speak to someone. You should be more respectful-"

"CAN IT! I've had a bad day and I'm not in the mood for being lectured by the likes of you!"

France pouted. "What did I ever do to deserve this cruel treatment from you, mon cher?"

"Oh, don't get me _started_ , frog! Why are you even here!? You're trespassing on private property, you know!"

France let out an offended squawk. "I am _not_ trespassing, I'll have you know! I was invited."

"You were _what?_ "

"Yes. This lovely state over here and I visit every once in a while with the sole purpose of perfecting _cuisses de grenouille_. She is surpisingly talented in collecting the required ingredients, but you would know nothing of this or proper cuisine, now would you?"

England mentally sighed in relief and let his anger at his former charge dissipate. _Oh, if he had been the one to invite France..._

England also noticed that, yes, there was a state with him, but only one. She had long straight black hair running down her back and light blue eyes hidden behind sleek thin-framed glasses. She was dressed very casually, but that was most likely because she had been prepared to be standing up to her knees in dark, murky water with a spike.

England nodded. That took Missouri off of his list. The girl shifted her glasses and smile politely at him.

"Hi, England." She never noticed England's look of sheer graditude for calling him by his _actual name_. "I didn't know you'd be here. What's the occasion?"

Oregon answered her. "It's a long story, Missouri. We'll tell you all about it later."

Missouri nodded before spearing an unsuspecting frog with ease and throwing it into a bag. England felt his lips twitch upwards.

"That should be enough." Missouri stated. "Let's go back to the house, now."

"Oui, mon cher. I will show all of the best ways to prepare _cuisses de grenouille_! You will be so entranced by their wonderful flavor that you will never be able to stand greasy American food again! Ohohohoho!"

Missouri shook her head, then looked over at England. "Would you like to come with us?"

Oregon and Vermont gave her a look of pure disbelief. She didn't really think about that before suggesting anything, did she? England's eyes widened in response, and France not being as upset as him in the least bit only made him even more uneasy.

"I think that is a brilliant idea, mon cher. Come, Angleterre. You and your companions were heading that way as well, no?"

England grimaced. France was going to enjoy this, wasn't he?

* * *

 **Even after cutting this chapter in half, part two here was still a LOT longer than I thought it would be. I guess this will just have to be a chapter longer than I anticipated. I hope you guys don't mind. :)**

 **~AnonymousTwit**


	5. In Times of Chaos

**Well, it's about time I returned. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that I'll be posting as often as I use to. A lot has happened since I last had anything on here.**

 **So here's what's up. I wanted to wait until after semester finals before I started working on my stories again because of everything that was happening. To those who believe that being a music major is easily, I laugh. XD No. It's not.**

 ** _Anyway_ , things were looking up. The end was coming...in more ways than one. The day after my classes ended,...my mother died. It was so sudden, and she and I were incredibly close, so...if I'm a little out of it, that's why. I'll come around, but I need time. **

**For now, I'm just happy that I still have artistic inspiration despite the slight writer's block and I intend to use it while I can. This chapter is a little bit shorter, though. ^^;**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

When Japan had first run into Italy, though he couldn't possibly have been more confused as to _why_ he was there, it had been a relief to him. Not only was it someone he knew well, but it was also someone who could do the talking for him, for the most part at least. Italy was a friendly and outgoing nation, so he shouldn't have any problems saying hello for him while he watched in silence. On top of that, he had Texas now. Though he didn't know him nearly as well, he still definitely seemed to be the kind of guy that you could count on, and the culture differences between them were already something he'd gotten use to after spending so much time with America. Yes, things seemed to be looking up for Japan. Now, hopefully, it would stay that way.

But he knew better then to hope at this point, so he chose to enjoy the "quiet" while he could, instead.

"So, I imagine this has been a little strange for you, huh?"

Japan looked up in slight surprise at suddenly being spoken to. "Eh? Oh, hai. It has been quite strange."

Texas chuckled. "Yeah, it seems weird, but when they say "melding pot of cultures", they aren't just talking about immigrants."

Japan nodded in acknowledgment as Texas smiled fondly and continued. "If you say you know America, congratulations. That's the overview. But once it comes down to us, it's a whole new ball game."

"Hai. It's kind of like...a little bit like dealing with separate countries altogether."

" _Exactly_. No two states are alike, whether it be the people, the culture, or the laws."

"Laws?"

"Yep. State laws are a thing here. Each of us have our own government and boss that we answer to and have both direct input on what happens in our states and partial input on the overall country. It's complicated, but I'd have to say we get a pretty good deal out of it."

"And what deal is that?"

"We get to exist."

Japan slowed his pace and watched the ex nation in front of him intently as he let the meaning of his words sink in. "The American government isn't centralized to one personification." Texas continued. "Power and responsibilities are shared between the federal and state governments, so we get to be a thing. I think that's a pretty great deal."

"Hmm..."

"Don't y'all have something similar in your country?"

"Sort of. I have prefectures rather than states, though."

"I see. I'd like to meet 'em sometime."

"Hai. That would be nice. I just don't want all of you showing up at my door at once and give us all heart attacks. In all honesty, this experience has been...stressful."

"Gotcha."

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Italy asked, stopping in his tracks as they past a hallway on the second floor. Japan and Texas looked back at him, listening for whatever Italy heard. It didn't take long, as some of the strangest music Japan had ever heard came to his ears. Not that it was bad by any means. It, in fact, sounded very difficult and well played. It just wasn't something he heard very much.

Texas shook his head and smiled. "Saxophone solo, jazz music, yeah. It could only be one person. Come on." Texas motioned for the two nations to follow him, striding down the hallway in a rhythmic motion to the beat. Sure, jazz wasn't Texas's favorite genre, but that certainly didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it.

Italy did his own little dance, waving his arms around in a snake-like way with a smile so wide that he was just asking to swallow a fly. Japan, on the other hand, simply chose to walk past him, taking the time to enjoy this music that he was unaccustomed to. Texas peered into the doorway where the music was coming from, finding, as he expected, one of his siblings playing away to a recording of multiple instruments. When Japan saw her, he had an intense moment of deja vu. The difference was that the last time a state resembled a nation he knew so strongly, he had feared for his life.

The girl playing the saxophone had long, bright blonde and extremely wavy hair tied back in a ponytail and blue eyes. Despite being casually dressed, Japan couldn't help but be impressed by her fashion sense, though something told him that it wasn't intentional. She couldn't look more like France even if she tried. Her fingers flew across the keys with ease as she danced around the room. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Texas, who was causally swaying his head about to the beat. The music hit a downbeat and she threw her head back.

"Woo! Ain't no music like jazz music, you know?" she all but shouted.

"That's debatable, Louisiana."

"You wanna fight?" she responded playfully.

"Ve~! You play very nice." Italy smile.

Louisiana grinned in response. "Yeah? I've spent years and years and _years_ perfecting it, so I better be! What's a party without a saxophone, anyway?"

"A party?"

"Yeah!" she turned to Texas. "I just answered one of Alabama's science-y space questions right, and I think that it's time for a celebration!"

Texas chuckled. "There's always a reason to celebrate with you, isn't there?"

"Life's a celebration! You gotta enjoy it!"

"Oh, calm down. It was just a quadratics equation." Japan whipped his head to see another state in the room. His appearance was...controversial, perhaps? He looked dirty and rugged with overalls and grass in his mouth. However, he was also wearing a very clean lab coat with a breast pocket that looked like it was carrying a monocle. He was writing equations on a white board that made even Japan's head spin.

"Oh, Alabama!" Texas exclaimed. "I didn't see you there!"

Alabama smirked. "Of course you didn't. I'm not even in your peripheral vision and despite the higher frequencies of my marker to the board compared to her saxophone, the higher level of decibels being created by her noise is too great. That, and she's dancing around like a maniac, causing your brain to focus on her existence and making me practically invisible to your eye."

Texas snorted. "And in dumb southern talk?"

"Y'all gonna see that there attention-whore first."

"Excuse you!" Louisiana growled, seemingly legitimately offended. "I am bringing joy to the world through festive celebrations and jazz music! All you got are _numbers!_ "

"And NASA."

" _Joy_ to the world, bud. _**Joy**_."

Japan didn't say a word. He was perfectly content with not getting involved in another string of mayhem like the last time he let his guard down. In all honesty, though, he'd love to get Alabama's opinion on the possibility of mechas. He then wondered how many questions like that he got from America every day.

"Ve~!" Italy stood before Louisiana. "You look like my big brother France!"

"Big brother?" Louisiana asked surprised. "Oh. Oh, yeah! You're Italy! Oh, wow. It's been a long time since I've seen any of you European nations, except maybe England."

"Si, si! So, you are Louisiana, yes? Does that make me _your_ big brother?"

"Ha! I don't see why not!"

"Yay!" Italy cheered. "I'm a big brother! Germany's going to be so surprised!" He paused, realizing that he had nearly forgotten the reason that he'd wandered over here in the first place. "Say, have you seen Germany anywhere? I can't seem to find him and I miss him a lot."

Louisiana seemed to adopt the look of _why would he be here_ that Japan knew quite well, but decided to be nice about it. "Can't say I have. Sorry. But have you thought about looking in, oh, I don't know, _Germany?_ "

Italy blinked, while Texas and Alabama seemed to be trying really hard not to laugh at the confused nation's expense. Japan, however, seemed to notice something else entirely: the sound of scribbling. In the corner of the cluttered living area was an old couch, currently occupied by another blonde haired, blue eyed girl, though her hair was left loose with neat curls in the front. She wore very fashionable cowboy-styled attire with a nice cowboy hat and boots, a white blouse, and a jean skirt. In her hands were a note pad and pencil as she scribbled down something, glancing every once in a while to the shiny guitar nicely leaned next to her. Japan quickly noticed the dozens of McDonald's hamburger wrappers surrounding her and felt an odd sense of familiarity wash over him. Before he could ask anything about the new state sitting in the corner completely unnoticed, another flash of blonde sped past the doorway, Texas curiously calling after her.

"Virginia!" he called. "What's the rush? Where are you going?"

Virginia could be heard skidding to a clumsy halt before making her way back to the doorway with a mischievous grin on her face. "Oh, nothing. Don't worry about me. I'm just getting some of the other to gang up on Iggy is all."

"Why?"

"'Cause it's fun." she replied simply before speeding back down the hall.

Texas rubbed the back of his neck. "Can't really argue with her there."

"And what's your name?" Italy asked the new state in the corner that he had now noticed as well. The girl looked over at him and smiled, shining an aura of friendliness that could only make Italy's smile widen.

"I'm Tennessee." she responded.

"What are you writing?"

"A new song."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They were interrupted by the sound of Alabama clearing his throat. "So, is anyone going to follow after Virginia before she and the others subject England to a fate worse than death?"

Tennessee seemed snickered. "He can handle it."

"You sure?" Texas questioned half-sarcastically. "I have a hunch as to who she looking for and it might not end well if England loses his temper on them. That's usually how this goes down."

"Except with Connecticut." Tennessee mused. "I think he's pretty cool with Connecticut."

"Everybody's cool with Connecticut."

"Oh, there she is again!" Italy exclaimed as the blonde state reappeared in the doorway, staring in at them with curiosity. Japan was quick to notice slight differences, however. Besides the brighter hue of her eyes, she had completely changed her clothes to a nice tee-shirt and jeans combo with a nice jacket and her hair was tied back into a braid. Italy happily waved his hand in greeting while the other states raised their eyebrows in amusement as Japan tried to figure out why Virginia changed her clothes and Italy remained ultimately oblivious.

"Ve~! Hi again, Virginia!" Italy exclaimed. "We were just thinking about looking for you!"

The two nations sent silent when they saw the _glare_ that they were getting from the newcomer. The girl huffed at them as her siblings patted Italy apologetically.

"Slight warning, guys. That's not Virginia."

Japan and Italy both stared at him in as if he'd grown a second head before slowly turned to looked at the state before them in disbelief. She was an exact replica of Virginia. There was a no way it could be a different person. This seemed to agitate the girl even more, who marched right up to Italy and looked him straight in the eye with a glare that had him shivering.

"Don't mistake me for my clone! I love my big sister to pieces, but I'm a totally different person and I'll make sure that everyone knows it!"

"Who are you, then?" Japan asked timidly.

She diffused and looked back at him with the innocent eyes of a young child. "I'm West Virginia."

"So you're still a Virginia?" Italy asked, earning a completely blank stare as the state wasn't entirely sure how to react to the comment.

"So what's up, West V?" Texas asked casually, as if she didn't want to launch something at them.

West Virginia completely dropped her frustration and smiled. "Oh, I was on my way to go on a hike, maybe camp out tonight, and I thought that maybe Virginia would join me. She seemed busy though, so I was going to ask someone else. How about you, Texas?"

"I'd love to, but there's a bit of trouble going on around here and I feel like I should do something about it, as hilarious as it is."

"Sounds like something Kentucky would say."

"He does enjoy a little mayhem sometimes, doesn't he?"

"Don't we all?" Alabama interjected.

"Points have been made." West Virginia responded.

Japan patiently waited for the siblings to end their banter in fear of ending up worse than Italy, who was not a fan of ticking people off _too_ much. Germany yelled at him enough. As of this point, Japan wanted nothing but a nice bath, some manga to read, and a winter long hibernation.

"Yo, guys!" Louisiana suddenly shouted, startling everyone in the room. They'd forgotten she was there for a second. "Are we just gonna stand here or are we gonna go watch England get tortured by a bunch of territories?"

"Am much as I'd love to," Texas laughed, "I think I'm siding with Iggy this time. No one deserves that fate."

"You never fought him..." Louisiana grumbled to herself.

It was about this time that Japan happened to glance out the window. At this point, he stopped questioning why certain things happened when they did, but he still couldn't help but blink from what he saw. First of all, he'd had quite enough with twins already with this whole Virginia thing, but now he was once again seeing double and he wasn't too thrilled on finding out what they were like.

Second, they were racing lawn mowers.

They weren't even the kind that you drive. They were just speeding around a makeshift track on little lawn mowers like madmen trying to kill each other, it looked like. After briefly wondering if this game was actually a stroke of genius, Japan was startled by the two crashing into each other. One of the brothers immediately shot back up and exclaimed that it was the other's fault and questioned himself for being convinced to even race his brother. His brother's response was quiet enough that Japan couldn't pick it up, but it was immediately followed by the first one yelling, "No! I'm the oldest!"

Alabama suddenly appeared next to Japan. "Looks like the Dakotas have been there for a while. Maybe they know where England is so we can warn him."

"Or watch his demise in amusement." Louisiana suggested.

"Or have a heart." Texas added. "Hey Tennessee, you want to join the fray?"

Tennessee smiled. "Sure. It could be great inspiration for my next song."

"I'm in on this, too." West Virginia stated with vigor. "It sounds like fun!"

Italy was now hiding behind Japan, watching West Virginia warily as she marched past them with a grin. She stopped momentarily, looking over at Italy with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about the rough meeting." she said.

Italy visibly brightened. "That's okay! I'm sure my brother Romano would have reacted the same way! In fact, he probably would have shot someone."

"You got a brother?"

"Ve! I am the north of Italy and he is the South!"

"Cool!"

The other states followed close behind out the door. At this point, Japan understood regret. He'd have to apologize to England later for asking how hard this could possibly be.

* * *

 **For those of you who are curious, or reading my other stories, _this was suppose to be West Virginia's introduction_. I'm sorry for offending so many people in One Crisp September Morning with such on OOC introduction to who I think is a pretty fun character. I feel bad because I have tons of friends from West Virginia and that's also where I go to school. Throughout this semester, I spent an estimated average of 9 hours in that state per day(I'm a Marylander), so it's like my second home. Sorry for misrepresenting you guys with poor timing. If you're reading that story, the next chapter will make up for it, I hope. :) **

**Anyways, I hope all of you have a great Christmas break and I'll see you later!**

 **EDIT: Wow. I actually managed to STILL offend someone with West Virginia, and now I feel terrible. I wanted to try and get back into the swing of things, but it's obvious to me now that I still need a break, from everything. I'm not blaming you guys. I just have thin skin is all and my mind is somewhere else. Please enjoy what I have here for now. I hope to return soon and not leave you guys hanging for too long. Bye bye.**

 **~AnonymousTwit**


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